That question is for professionals to determine. But I will contend that in their quest to suppress opposing views they broke their oath of office to uphold both the U.S. and the North Carolina constitutions which gives all men the freedom of speech.
Were all of the commissioners a part of hiding the true agenda for the evening? This maneuver to circumvent opposition didn’t just pop up but had to have been planned for sometime. How many meetings took place, who were the big players? How much wining and dining was applied? Were any incumbent’s votes secured by not bringing this issue before the board until after the primary elections, therefore, guaranteeing them a more favorable return? Did Senator Purcell agree to introduce their resolution only if there was no controversy involved, thus requiring the dismissal of ethics and integrity to gain a unanimous decision? While watching this semi-closed section of the monthly meeting the two women commissioners seemed unaware of what was transpiring or knowledgeable about hunting, as the politically and financially well to do led them around with slanted, biased, refutable and contradictory statements.
One statement was that the majority of dog hunters were not from this county. If that were true then why the conspiracy of silence to slip this by uncontested? Every citizen, no matter which side of the fence you reside on, should be concerned by the actions of this board. Have they done this before, will they again? If left unchecked who’s next, what’s next, will your rights be in jeopardy?
Roger Coan
Rockingham
And maybe as a trade off, you and friends could at least keep the roads open, public and private. That is if you can keep at least one sober enough to direct traffic thru your blockades.
It seems to me that the rights of the property owners overide any "perceived rights" of the hunters who let their dogs run rampant through other peoples property. What about the rights of the dogs who deserve to be taken care of all the time and not just during hunting season. This issue is long overdue being addressed and I think the majority of the citizens would agree.
You have mistaken leadership with talks behind the scenes. The commissioners are looking out for the best interest of the property owners of Richmond County and are responding to complaints from more than just a few dog hunters. How much of their own land do they hunt on,other than leased property? Ricmond County is having to deal with this problem because it is being banned everywhere else. Does that say something?